"The brutal side of our business is that when you play at a high level you have a lot of guys that can command top dollar as free agents, and you can't afford to keep everybody," Schaub said Friday.

Free safety Ed Reed, fullback Greg Jones and punter Shane Lechler have been signed to fill some of the holes.

"I'm really excited about playing with them," said Schaub, who is confident the Texans will be in the hunt for the Super Bowl. "We still have a ton of talent. We play at a very high level. I definitely think we are (a Super Bowl contender)."

Schaub, 31, and his wife, Laurie, are preparing for their Hope Can Heal Gala and Golf Classic at the Royal Sonesta Hotel and Redstone Golf Club. In the last two years, they've presented checks for $308,000 to Texas Children's Hospital West Campus.

This year, the Schaubs plan for their foundation to contribute to a project to expand the emergency room for children.

"With everything the children have to go through, to see the smiles on their faces really lifts you up," Schaub said. "This is something that's very important to Laurie and me."

Unlike last year's offseason when he was undergoing rehabilitation after foot surgery, Schaub is working out daily to prepare for the upcoming season and to avoid another collapse like last season, when the Texans blew a chance at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Texans finished 12-4, won the AFC South for the second consecutive year and defeated Cincinnati in the playoffs before getting blown out in the divisional round at New England.

Schaub, who threw only one touchdown pass in the last four games, has received the bulk of the criticism.

"To go through trials and tribulations definitely makes you a better quarterback and a tougher person," he said. "It helps motivate you and drives you."

For the first time since he became Texans starter, Schaub won't look across the line of scrimmage when they play Baltimore and see Reed.

"I've been across from him enough to know what kind of player he is and what he brings to the defense," Schaub said. "He can still play at an exceptional level. The leadership and knowledge he brings to the locker room can help everyone play at a higher level.

"Through the years, Ed's compiled so much information. He knows how to relay that information to help the young guys."

When the Texans report for their offseason program in two weeks, Schaub will see Reed every day in practice.

"When you break the huddle, you look at the safeties because they can tell you a lot about their coverage," Schaub said. "The quarterback has to know where Ed Reed is. When Ed's back there, you can focus on him so much it might take away from the other guys, and it can (backfire) and force you into some bad decisions."

Schaub, who played at Virginia, has watched Jones, a nine-year veteran, since they were college opponents. With Jacksonville, Jones played against the Texans twice a season.

"I played against Greg when he was a tailback at Florida State," Schaub said. "I'm very excited to get him. He's a bruiser who's been doing it at a high level for so long. He's got so much to offer."

Schaub knew the Texans tried to get Lechler four years ago, but late Oakland owner Al Davis signed him to a four-year, $16 million contract.

"Shane has been so good for so long, and he has the ability to flip the field," Schaub said. "If it's third down, you might play it safe and throw the ball out of bounds because you know Shane's going to back up the (opposing offense) and pin them in their end of the field."

John McClain, a Waco native who graduated from Baylor in 1975, is in his 43rd year at the Houston Chronicle and his 40th covering the National Football League, including the Oilers and Texans. He worked for the Waco Tribune Herald from 1973-76, when he accepted a job with the Chronicle. to cover the original Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.

McClain has a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as the 2006 winner of the Dick McCann Memorial Award presented annually by the Pro Football Writers of America to a writer for his long and distinguished coverage of the NFL. He is past president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Committee and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

In 2015, he was named as a Gridiron Legend in Texas, becoming the third member of the media behind Dave Campbell and Mickey Herskowitz.

McClain can be heard six times a week on the Texans' flagship station Sports Radio 610 in Houston. He also does weekly sports talk shows in Nashville, Knoxville, Waco, Austin and San Antonio.

McClain also has appeared in eight movies: The Rookie, The Longest Yard, Spring Breakers, Secretariat, Invincible, Cook County, The Game Plan and Make It Rain.

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